1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a parachute flight training simulator and more particularly to such a simulator in which the trainee provides input signals to a programmed computer and observes a computerized display simulating his flight.
2. Description of the Related Art
Parachuting simulation systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,107 issued Apr. 12, 1988 to Bories et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,311 issued Apr. 28, 1981 to Call, et al. Both of these systems involve mechanical systems wherein the parachutist is suspended from a frame and mechanically moved in a manner simulating a parachute flight. There is no suggestion of the simulation of a flight by a pictorial display which the parachutist observes and can control his parachute to provide a simulated landing in a desirable spot and in a matter to avoid colliding with other parachutists.
Simulation systems are used extensively for training pilots in flying conventional fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. In such systems, students are seated in replicas of aircraft cockpits, moving force-loaded controls to simulate flying in response to movement of displayed elements in electronically generated scenes. Flight simulation systems of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,658 issued Apr. 12, 1977 to Porter, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,317 issued Mar. 14, 1978 to Wheatley, et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,141 issued May 21, 1991 to Relf, et al. To the best of applicants' knowledge, however, simulation systems having displays which simulate the flight pictorially from beginning to end are not found in the prior art for parachuting flight training.